The Shahada is the Islamic statement of faith. It is short, simple, and to the point:

There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

I have used the word "Allah" here instead of the more generic "God," which is too unspecific to be truly useful. When you say God, which God do you mean? Because there is such a HUGE difference between the Islamic god Allah and the God of the Bible, who is the God of Israel and the Father of Yeshua (Isa, Jesus), on this Web site I generally refer to that God by His Biblical name Yahweh. By stating clearly whether we are talking about Allah or Yahweh (or some other god), we can avoid the profound confusion and deception which plagues Christians and non-Christians alike.

According to the above-linked Shahada article on Wikipedia:

The Shahada is an Islamic creed which declares belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God's prophet. Recitation of the Shahada is the most important article of faith for Muslims. Non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam do so by a public recitation of this creed. Three honest recitations of the Shahada in Arabic, in the presence of an Imaam or other witnesses, is all that is required for a person to convert to Islam. Most Muslims count it as the first of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Although they are very detailed, I think the Christian creeds are too long to be used as comparisons to the Islamic Shahada. Therefore, I propose a Christian Shahada — a Shahada of truth better than the Islamic Shahada:

There is no God but Yahweh, Isa (Yeshua, Jesus) the Messiah is the Son of Yahweh.

There! I think that does it quite well. It's similar to what Yeshua Himself prayed:

"This is the way to have eternal life — to know You, Father, the only true God, and I, Yeshua the Messiah, the one You sent to earth." (John 17:3)

But what's the point? Am I simply indulging in a theoretical exercise, or is there any practical purpose for, and application of, this better Shahada?

Witnesses caught up in the attack at Westlands Shopping Centre, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said anyone who could recite a Muslim prayer to their captors was allowed to leave unscathed. (Emphasis mine.)

I think it is quite likely that the "Muslim prayer" mentioned was in fact the Islamic Shahada. So we're not talking about some sort of academic question, but literally a matter of life and death. However, there is something even more important than physical life and death. Yeshua said,

"Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

When your Islamic future arrives, and Muslims have conquered the West and imposed Sharia law, you will be asked to recite the Islamic Shahada three times in order to declare your submission to Allah. If you refuse, you will be killed as a rebel against Allah and Islam. What will you do? Will you recite the Islamic Shahada in order to save your earthly life?

In the same chapter, just a few verses down, Yeshua said:

"Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But everyone who denies Me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in heaven.... If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it. (Matthew 10:32,33,39)

So what will it be? You have two, and only two, choices:

Deny Yeshua publicly here on earth by reciting the Islamic Shahada, which will result in Yeshua denying you before His Father in heaven. By trying to cling to your earthly life you will lose it for eternity.

Acknowledge Yeshua publicly here on earth by reciting to your Muslim captors the better Shahada: There is no God but Yahweh, Isa the Messiah is the Son of Yahweh.. True, the Muslims will kill your body, but they cannot touch your soul. By making such a confession of faith, Yeshua promises to acknowledge you before His Father in heaven. By giving up your earthly life for Yeshua, you will find your true eternal life.